Bruins' Patrice Bergeron named finalist for Selke Trophy

For the third straight year, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron has been named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, given to the NHL's best defensive forward.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

For the third straight year, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron has been named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, given to the NHL's best defensive forward.

Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews and Kings center Anze Kopitar were the other finalists. Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and the winner will be named at the league's awards ceremony in Las Vegas in June.

Bergeron won the Selke in 2012 and was a close runner-up to Toews last year, despite having the most first-place votes.

“It’s definitely a huge honor," Bergeron told reporters in Detroit before the Bruins faced the Red Wings in Game 4 of their first-round series. "I mean it goes to the help of all my teammates, definitely. There’s no individual awards that don’t go without the help of all your teammates, so that’s all I can really say. I have other things on my mind right now, which is the playoffs.”

Bergeron tied for the Bruins' team lead in goals with 30 this season and was second in the league in plus/minus at plus-38 to teammate David Krejci. Bergeron was No. 1 in the NHL in faceoff percentage at 58.6 percent among players who took more than 1,000 draws, and Bergeron was fourth overall in total faceoffs with 1,732.

The 28-year-old's offensive success came despite starting just 46.0 percent of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, one of the lowest figures among 30-goal scorers in the league. Coach Claude Julien relies on Bergeron to begin shifts in a defensive situation, responsibly clear the dangerous areas, then set up shop on the other end for chances. Bergeron is also often brought on as a faceoff specialist when a big draw is needed.

Bergeron spoke to the Daily News last month about his defense-first strategy. He was asked what kind of offensive numbers he could put up if he committed to being an offensive-minded player.

“I don't know,” he said. “It’s a good question. I guess it’s natural that if you cheat a bit more that you get more points. But I don’t know, and I don’t care. That’s the bottom line. I feel like it’s been working with my teammates and my team and that's all I need.”